Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 83 Parting

The snow was still falling. I stood outside, hesitating to knock on the Lin family's door.

After a long deliberation, I chose to turn and leave. The door opened, and Lin Han stood there. "I've been watching you for a while. Did you really intend to abandon me like this?"

"If it weren't for me, the Lin family wouldn't be in this state."

"What does that have to do with you? Come in."

After I entered, only one lamp was lit, making the place feel desolate. I remembered not long ago this family was eating and drinking warmly. How quickly had it come to this? Three members of the Lin family were gone. I brought Lin Han back from Beijing hoping for a family reunion, but it led to the Lin family's downfall.

After sitting down, I softly asked, "Where is Aunt Lin?"

"The doctor came and prescribed some sedatives. She's asleep. Mother doesn't know anything. The upheaval at home has been too much for her."

"Take good care of her."

"Thank you!"

Looking at Lin Han, I felt she had suddenly matured so much. I pursed my lips and said, "We were both wrong. Your father wasn't the x driver."

"Director Lu called me."

Lin Han's eyes filled with tears. I looked at her. "Cry if you need to."

Lin Han suddenly threw herself into my arms, weeping with anguish, her tears soaking my shoulder.

...

Lin Zhijun was not the x driver; he had even risked his life for Lin Han's safety against him. This made Lin Han deeply remorseful for wrongly accusing her father. I stayed with her through those most desolate ten-plus days, and Lin Han began to grow stronger, stepping up to support the Lin family's antique business as its heir. Lin Mother's mood also stabilized considerably. While the mother and daughter went to pray at a temple, I, with my suitcase, went alone to the Xi'an train station.

The Lin family no longer needed me. Having told a lie, I had no reason to stay. Lin Zhijun had asked me not to tell Lin Han the truth. I admit he was a great father, and I had fulfilled his last wish. My grandfather had asked me to protect Lin Han, and I had succeeded. By breaking up with Lin Han, even if I had to face the organization 'Logical Paradox' later, Lin Han would not be in danger. Lin Zhijun had performed a "lizard shedding its tail" maneuver, severing the 'Logical Paradox's' entanglement with Xi'an. There was no longer a need for 'Logical Paradox' to return, allowing the police to follow the trail to them.

I sat quietly on the train's long bench, hearing the carriage door close. Just then, someone violently pounded on the train window. I looked out and saw Lin Han, her face streaked with tears.

The train slowly began to move. Lin Han, crying, ran after it. I watched, and eventually, her figure disappeared from the window.

My phone rang. It was Lin Han. "Tang Nan, you bastard, you're just leaving like this."

"We were meant to part ways eventually."

"I forbid you to leave."

"Lin Han, be mature. We don't have that kind of destiny."

"Please, don't go."

"In the Lin family incident, I played an ignoble role. I cannot face you."

"I don't care."

"I care. I care about everything. I don't want to live in the shadow of the Palace Queen. I want a life of my own."

"Then can I call you in the future?"

Tears welled up in my eyes. I turned off my phone.

...

"Is this okay?"

A familiar voice came from behind me. I quickly wiped away my tears and looked back, kneeling on one leg on the chair. Old Ghost had also boarded this train. He was right behind me, a plastic bag of roujiamo on the table.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" I roared at Old Ghost, agitated, not caring if the other passengers were watching.

Old Ghost chuckled. "My dear nephew is heartbroken. Please bear with him."

I left my seat and pulled Old Ghost directly to the carriage connection. Two people were smoking there. Seeing my distressed state, they quickly put out their cigarettes and left. I reiterated my question to Old Ghost: "Why aren't you helping?"

"How can I help in that kind of situation?"

Old Ghost's words silenced me. I glared at him, eventually losing my composure. Leaning against the carriage wall, I looked up at the ceiling.

"I lied to the police. In the end, I didn't tell them the truth. I made up a story."

"Then you'd better remember that story."

"Why?"

"Because someone will ask you."

I pondered his words. Old Ghost was right. Someone would want to know the truth, like Wang Zeyyi. Section Chief Wang had eyes like fiery irises; he would surely ask me, and any logical inconsistencies would be evident to him.

I looked at Old Ghost and reminded him, "When Lin Zhijun severed his ties with 'Logical Paradox,' he mentioned your name."

Hearing this, Old Ghost looked puzzled. "I wasn't involved in the planning, and Lin Zhijun doesn't know me. Why would he mention my name?"

"Lin Zhijun had someone nicknamed 'The Agent' send a text message to Long-tongued Ghost, telling him to inform the mentor that they had been discovered by an evil spirit."

Old Ghost frowned. "Are you sure they said 'evil spirit'?"

"Yes, no doubt about it."

Seeing Old Ghost's slightly displeased expression, I asked him, "They weren't talking about you, were they?"

"It should be me. But I'm called 'Gluttonous Ghost.' They call me 'Evil Spirit.' It sounds like a starving ghost, and it makes me uncomfortable."

What was this man thinking about? He was truly the legendary schemer. Why did I always have this question every time I met him? However, the question I truly wanted to ask wasn't this one. I looked at Old Ghost. "Am I really that bad?"

"If my master were alive, you'd be considered lacking. But in my eyes, you are an excellent schemer."

"Why?"

"Can a child who grew up never having enough to eat be the same as a child who grew up playing games?"

"I've been led around by the nose in this whole affair."

Old Ghost laughed heartily. "If you think that way, you're mistaken. In the ocean, it's not always the one swimming against the current who is brave; drifting with the flow might get you to shore faster."

"You're comforting me."

"Yes, aren't you enjoying it?"

"Can you talk about something else, like my shortcomings?"

Old Ghost looked at me and suddenly became serious. "Tang Nan, if you want to become a true schemer, relying on the police is not advisable."

"Why?"

"You stand in the light, and you'll never know what the world of darkness is like."

"I don't quite understand your meaning. Do you want me to commit crimes?"

"What crimes? Wouldn't that make me an instigator? The police are the light. When you're with them, light follows you everywhere you go. In that state, you've never truly experienced the dark world."

"I understand!"

We chatted a bit more, and I returned to my seat. The sky gradually darkened. I felt tired. When I woke up, it was dark outside the window, and the carriage lights were on. I felt hungry and patted my back. "Old Ghost, give me one of your roujiamo."

There was no response. I knelt up and looked back. Someone else had taken his place.

"Where did that fat guy who was sitting here go?"

"He got off."

I smiled wryly and sat back down. I remembered my phone was still off. Lin Han had probably sent me a barrage of angry texts. I patted my pockets. Nothing. Nothing on the table. I asked the person next to me, "Brother, have you seen my phone that I left here?"

"Your uncle took it."

"Who's my uncle?"

"The fat guy who was sitting behind you. Isn't he your uncle? Buddy, did you meet a con artist?"

"Yes, he must be a con artist, a big one."

...

Upon returning to Beijing, I went to the Criminal Investigation Bureau and resigned from my informant position. Wang Zeyyi looked at me with a hint of regret. "You made significant contributions in this job. Passing the civil servant exam would allow you to become a permanent employee. Do you know how difficult it is to become a civil servant in the Criminal Investigation Bureau through regular channels?"

"I'm afraid I won't pass the civil servant exam."

"Why?"

"Yesterday, I saw a civil servant exam question: Which of the following characters did not appear in Journey to the West? There were four options: Lu Dongbin, Zhang Bairen, Tang Monk, Chang'e. I got it wrong."

Section Chief Wang was perplexed. "Zhang Bairen, of course. How could you get that wrong?"

"Section Chief Wang, Zhang Bairen is the Jade Emperor."

As soon as I said that, Section Chief Wang's expression soured. "Lu Dongbin, perhaps? He's one of the Eight Immortals, a character from Journey to the West."

"Lu Dongbin also appeared."

"Then there's no answer!"

"The answer is Tang Monk."

"Who? Tang Monk? That's absurd!"

I laughed. "Tang Monk. A monk from the Tang Dynasty. It doesn't refer to a specific individual. The Master we imagine is commonly called Tang Monk, but he never used that name. His name was Tang Sanzang."

Actually, I was just joking. After breaking up with Lin Han, I also parted ways with the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Before leaving Beijing, I visited Chang Dachun. He, along with Fatty and Big Yellow, were legitimately running a portal website with the funds I had invested.

I heard it was called Youth Network, or perhaps that wasn't the official name. Regardless, it was incredibly popular. Old Chang suggested a meal to discuss my shareholder equity. I said I'd take whatever he offered and declined the meal, as I was in a hurry to get home for the New Year. Otherwise, with the Spring Festival travel rush, I wouldn't be able to get a ticket.

...

After returning home, Old Tie's parents came to visit before the New Year, crying inconsolably. They had learned that Old Tie had become a wanted criminal. I didn't know how to comfort them. While my parents were consoling them, I put on my cotton-padded jacket and quietly went out.

The New Year arrived, with decorations everywhere. However, I felt no joy. I walked the streets, seeing the happiness on everyone's faces, and felt a sense of loneliness. Lin Han's image flashed in my mind. I shook my head, trying to banish her from my memory. Then, I withdrew twenty thousand yuan in cash from the bank, bought a case of wine and a box of premium fruit from the supermarket. I took a taxi to my former homeroom teacher's house.

"You want to come back and re-study, to take the university entrance exam?" my homeroom teacher asked, looking at me in astonishment.

I took out the twenty thousand yuan and pushed it towards my homeroom teacher. "I need your help with something."

...

In September of the following year, in autumn, I set off alone from my hometown for Hohhot to pursue my studies. From then on, I abandoned the light that had enveloped me and officially stepped into the dark world of a schemer.